Darknight(101)

“You ready for this?” he asked.

I couldn’t trust myself to do anything more than nod.

“Then let’s put on a show.”

He got out of the car and came around to the passenger side, then grasped me by the arm and pulled me out. My feet slipped a little on a patch of ice in the shadow of the eaves, and his grip tightened.

“You’re hurting me,” I said.

“Just don’t want you to fall down,” he said sunnily, and dragged me to the front door.

The illusion was so perfect that even I felt a flicker of cold doubt, wondered for half a second whether this had all been some elaborate plan to deliver me to Damon once and for all. No. That was crazy. This was just Connor acting as he thought Lucas might if he really had gone off the deep end and had decided to help out his old friend by delivering me all wrapped up in a bow.

As before, the front door was unlocked. Connor pushed me through it, hand still like a band of steel around my upper arm. Playacting or not, that was going to leave a bruise.

Then again, I had far worse things to worry about.

A low snarl greeted us, and we both stopped dead on the Persian rug in the entryway. The clean-up crew had done a good job. You couldn’t tell that a young woman had died violently here only two days ago.

The Damon-wolf was sitting on the threshold between the entry and the living room, unnatural black eyes glaring at us, teeth bared in a snarl.

Connor held up a hand and said, “Look what I’ve brought you, Damon. Think of her as a present. She’s the one you were really trying to get, right?”

A slight head tilt, and the smallest suggestion of a whine, as if the creature was trying to process what Connor had just said.

“This isn’t going to work!” I cried, going along as best I could. “When Connor finds out what you’ve done — ”

“Well, he won’t, because this is just Damon’s and my little secret, isn’t it?”

Another whine, and the wolf began to pad toward us. I held my breath, not daring to move. But as the creature drew closer, I saw it halt, then sniff the air. Its teeth bared, and a low growl began to emanate from its throat.

Oh, shit. Ohshitohshitohshit…

That was about the only coherent thought my brain could form. Because somehow it must have realized this was not Lucas, that the scent beneath the guise of his friend was that of someone Damon knew even better.

His brother.

Even though I’d been expecting the attack, its speed took us both by surprise. The creature was in midair, mouth open, before I could even begin to react. Connor, acting on instinct, thrust himself between the wolf and me, arm up to protect his throat.

The teeth latched onto his arm. Thank the Goddess that he was wearing a heavy leather coat, or that bite would have sunk straight to the bone. But it was still enough to knock him staggering, crying out in pain as he fell against me and we both collapsed to the floor, the weight of the creature — greater than I would have thought an actual wolf’s would be — driving us backward, slipping along the tile floor.

Although I hadn’t been touched by the Damon-wolf, I still let out a grunt of pain, feeling elbow and knee smack into the hard surface. But nothing seemed to be broken, and I couldn’t worry about bumps and bruises now.

Blessed Brigid, give me the strength of a warrior now, I thought. The glowing energy within me seemed to flare up brighter than the sun, and I pushed out with it, concentrating all its force on the unnatural creature snarling and biting at Connor’s face — now returned to its normal guise, the glamour ruined from shock and pain — as he held up his arm to shield himself, the leather jacket shredded beyond any hope of protecting him further.

An unseen force lifted the wolf and flung it away, aiming it so it plowed directly into the wall. It gave out a little grunt, then pushed itself back to its feet before charging at us once again.

I pushed out again with the power within me, but somehow the wolf seemed to be pushing back as well, resisting the power that was attempting to force it away. Fear surged up within me. I’m not strong enough —

And it leaped, teeth closing around my calf just above the hiking boot I wore. Red-hot pain seared through me, and I staggered backward, blinking away tears of agony, even as Connor burst out, “Damon, no!”

Focus, I told myself. There is no pain. There is only the power.

Somehow that allowed me to regain my balance. Once again I gathered up the brilliant prima strength surging within me and thrust it outward at the wolf, shoving it back so it couldn’t get close enough to do any real harm.

“Please, Damon,” Connor said, moving gingerly to a sitting position, then pushing himself up to his feet. Blood was dripping from his nose, and now I could see that more blood stained the torn leather of his jacket. “Please. You don’t want to do this. Come back to us.”